Action Figure #839: STORM Arena Street Fighter Alpha Nash (Charlie)

 Street Fighter can never stop having naming issues, huh?

 As far as confusion goes, Nash or Charlie if you aren't Japanese, might be another one. Capcom USA felt Nash wouldn't work overseas so he was renamed Charlie... which then confused people like me who were young when they watched the Street Fighter movie and tied him as Carlos Blanka, Guile's buddy. It wasn't easy being a 90's kid!

 STORM keeps pumping out this figures... and boy, am I happy for it! Nash is their latest release, and it just might be their best. First, the sculpt is incredible, they managed to capture Nash's likeness to a teem and he is a really cool looking figure. I mean, he's always been the cooler Guile, but I don't think I've ever appreciated him as much as I do now after seeing him in plastic! The way his bulky clothes look, the sculpting of his muscles... everything is just perfect. The only thing I found curious is that his jacket kinda smells like chemicals.

 He comes with two headsculpts, one with a neutral expression and another one that is grunting, two fists, two open hands, to eyeglass-holding hands, two hands pointing with three fingers(for his winning pose!), the glasses themselves(Becareful, they are tiny!) as well as the stand all these figures come with. But it doesn't stop there, they included alternate skin-colored butterfly joints. Charlie never takes off his jacket, but just in case you wanted to, YOU CAN! It wasn't needed, they just included it because they could. Amazing. And then, he includes a phenomenal Somersault Shell effect! It looks incredible, and you can even balance him on one leg with it!

 Same great articulation as we've learned to expect from Storm. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his biceps, thighs and ankles, butterfly joints, a ball jointed ab crunch and a ball jointed waist, alongside drop down hips I'm not scared of ever breaking. All his joints have been silky smooth, and he holds poses really well, as I mentioned already, he can even be balanced with the effect piece on one leg! He is about as tall as Bucky Cap, and scales nicely with JADA's Guile.

 I mean... this just might be STORM's best release yet. The sculpt looks absolutely perfect, the articulation is top of the line, the figure feels sturdy, the accessories are all glorious... Slowly, but surely, I think I'm starting to love this Storm line.

10

Action Figure #838: Marvel Legends Lizard (BAF Rerelease)

 I wonder if he is related to Godzilla...

 The Lizard has been the last classic Spider-Man villain I've been missing, and he's always been hard to find, be it the animated/Ditko slim-lookin' Lizard or this more modern, albeit clad in his classic colors, looking one. Well, in baddies I prefer size and bulk, so I went for this one. Funnily enough, when Amazon charged me for the pre-order, I had no more money on my debit card, and I decided to wait until I got paid instead of using credit... bad idea, it got pushed back to July. And I got scared that it might get cancelled, so I ended up paying double for it on Ebay. At least I made sure to get him before the price went ever higher, oof! 

 Sculpt-wise, this figure is fantastic. From the sculpted scales, all the torn clothes around him that feature sculpted, scaly musculature below to the bestial frame he's got. It's a fantastic looking Lizard, no way around it. Of not is that the edges of his lab coat are all muddy, which looks really nice... even if said weathering doesn't extend to his pants or feet. Now, then, this is actually an updated re-release, and they've changed a few things. Firstly, the original figure had a more natural looking paintjob, while this one has a flatter, 60's-90's Comic Book accurate coloring. It's really just a matter of taste, I think I prefer the more natural looking colors of the original release, but this figure will look right at home with other Comic Book figures. The weathering in the original was much better done too. The other difference is the head, or rather, the tongue. The original figure had a much longer, thinner tongue.

 His only accessory is an alternate head sculpt mirroring McFarlane's chunkier head design. I, for one, prefer the more angular, modern lizard head.

 Articulation is acceptable considering it is an older figure. His neck is on a double balljoint, which allows you angle his head around, elbows are double jointed, he has waist, bicep and thigh swivels for all your turning needs, and a hinged ab crunch with a nice amount of range forward. His tail connects to the torso via a ball joint, and the tail itself has two joints, so while it allows you to pose it around, it will look a bit rigid.

 The legs are the worst part. Pictured above is one leg bent and one fully straightened. Yes, the difference is minimal, which is kind of disappointing, as they could have updated his knees. His feet have toe-joints at least! Being originally a BAF... his right leg kept popping off, I had to thicken the peg with super glue. His left arm too would pop off until I worked it out a bit.

 His jaw can be fully opened or closed, and you can even lift his tongue! He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 The Lizard is fine. The sculpt itself is really impressive, making for a nice, beefy villain to have fighting Spider-Man, and I much prefer the modern Lizard look. Articulation could've been better, but what you get is quite serviceable. So... yeah, while there was room for improvement, I'm happy with the figure.

7.5

Action Figure #837: Marvel Legends Quicksilver (Avengers 2-Pack)

 He is wearing pixie boots!

 Had I known that this Quicksilver was releasing this year I certainly would've skipped the classic green Quicksilver nobody likes. Ah, well! At least now I own a proper blue-colored Pietro. And, by the by, he is STILL Magneto's son, no matter what Marvel says.

 While I'm most familiar with his classic skyblue costume, I know for a fact that I've read one or two comics with Pietro wearing this outfit, and to be honest, I quite like it, maybe even more than the classic! It looks great in plastic too, the paint apps are all perfectly in place. Another thing worth mentioning... while they botched Natasha's head, we've finally got a well-proportioned Pietro head! No, really, both previous Quicksilver releases had huge heads on their shoulders, but this one is perfect.

 He comes with two fists, two grabby hands and an alternate screaming head. No open palm running hands this time either! I was going to use the screaming head on my other Pietro... but the open mouth is too exaggerated, its use when posing is fairly limiting.

 This is a somewhat retooled Sunfire buck, so you know the deal. Hinged ab crunch, waist, bicep, thigh and boot swivels, double jointed elbows and knees, as well as butterfly joints. You can pretty much do anything fun you'd like to do with him... being mindful that he IS a bit gummy, sadly, although not as bad as some other Legends. He is about as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Finally a good Quicksilver. While not the most classic looking costume it's still a nice looking one, and they've finally fixed the proportions on his head, as both previous figures never looked quite right with that gigantic noggin'.

8.0

Action Figure #836: Marvel Legends Black Widow (Avengers 2-Pack)

 Maybe the theme was villains turned heroes?

 I wasn't really in the market for another Black Widow since she isn't really a character I care a lot about, and I never even new that she ever wore this costume... but, hey, mine was quite outdated, so this isn't completely unwelcome!

 Well, this is a simple look. She's using the new female torso, which looks great on her. As much as I like the black, red and yellow color scheme.... I don't know,  I don't find anything about this costume eye-catching. No wonder she never wore it again! The wristbands are sculpted onto the arms, and they look quite nice. Sadly, the leg strap hangs loose on her leg, so it could fall at any moment.

 She comes with two headsculpts, and both look really nice... except for how over-sized they are. I compared the size with Ms. Marvel, who also uses the new buck, and sure enough, she has less chin AND forehead than Black Widow. She also comes with those lame female open hands they love to use, as well as two fists. It would've been nice to get some effects for the wristbands instead of the open hands...

 Since she uses the new female buck, articulation is excellent. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on her biceps and thighs, butterfly joints, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist lets her hit all the lithe poses you'd want her in.

 The arms are a bit gummy, as sadly we've come to expect from cheap Hasbro. Also pictured her large head, man, it's almost as large as her chest! She is a hair shorter than Bucky Cap.

 I don't hate the figure, but I don't care for it. There's nothing interesting about her or her design, and I really hate how large her head looks on this body. Some effects for her wristbands would've been a quite welcome.

5.5

Action Figure #835: Jazwares Pokemon Select Scizor

 These just keep getting worse, huh?

 I only just discovered this line and I get to own Scizor already, yet another one of my favorite Pokemon! I've been anxiously awaiting this one ever since it got announced, and I had to pay premium because I had to rely on resellers due to the horrid Target Exclusivity, but here we are now, and was it worth it? No.

 First the good news, as per usual, the sculpt is exceptional. It looks as if it was ripped straight out of the games, from its proportions, the color it is cast in as well as the paint apps. If you like guy, you will love how it looks. It comes with a base, which you'll probably have to use, because this guy is VERY floppy and the poses he can stand in are few. 

 Let's get on with the articulation. That's how far its knees can bend. The legs have the shortest range to the side, but they can be raised forward and backward as much as you want. What I've discovered is that he is easier to stand with its legs straightened out, as it balances better that way on its toes. It's abdomen is on a very loose and floppy ball joint. Both its wings are hinged at the back, allowing the some little range to be shifted left or right.

 The arms are very thin and feel super frail, you can already see how stressed the plastic is at the elbow. The shoulders can be turned up and down, but much like the legs, they have no side movement, although, the arm is hinged at the shoulder, which lets you rotate the arm to the side and then use the hinge. Clunky, but it works. Its claws can open and close.

 Look how poorly the pain apps on his eye are. And this elbow too is very stressed.

 Scizor is a smidge shorter than Typhlosion and Tyranitar, and a bit shorter than Bucky Cap too.

 Another Pokemon Select figure.... another disappointment. Jazwares gets the sculpts just right, it's a shame they can't make fun figures to play and pose with.

3.0

Action Figure #834: Star Wars The Black Series Paz Vizsla (Carbonized)

 Don't ever trust those Viszla guys.

 Paz is a girl's name but I'm pretty sure Paz Vizsla is no lady. I've been eyeing this guy for a while now, while I didn't much care for him in Season 1 of The Mandalorian, a stocky Mando makes for an interesting action figure!

 This guy is about a head taller than other Mandos and at least twice as thick! |I do really like how he looks, as beyond his larger build he also has a sturdier looking armor, one that looks particularly impressive with the carbonized shine, and I do love the yellow and blue color scheme. I also really love his asymmetrical design, all in all, a very eye catching figure.

 His only accessory is his backpack, which is connected to his massive gatling blaster gun.

 For a relatively old figure, the articulation is pretty good. His single jointed elbows reach slightly beyond 90 degrees, and he has double jointed knees with thigh swivels for good measure. He has butterfly joints, but the added range is minimal. He has a ball jointed ab crunch, but the range on it is pretty lacking. His pauldrons slide over the torso, so he can go wild when flailing his arms. He is slightly taller than Bucky Cap.

 While I think the carbonized effect detracts from most figures, c'mon, I couldn't say no to this beauty. Paz is already a good looking figure without the shine, but in his case it just gives him an extra oomph of badassery. Lovely figure.

8.5

Action Figure #833: Star Wars The Black Series Krrsantan (Book of Boba Fett)

 At least Chewbacca can be pronounced!

 I've been reading the 'new' Disney Star Wars comics and that's how I discovered Krrsantan and decided I needed his figure. This is actually the second Krrsantan figure, because while the Black Series Team is now firing on all cilinders, their first release, I kid you not, was a lazy black recolored Chewbacca. But with this version he gets his own new sculpt!

 So... yeah, new Wookie sculpt! And you can tell he isn't using recycled parts because he is a bit shorter than the other Wookies released so far! And I oughta say, I love what they did with him. Starting with his black fur which has a few grey highlights here and there, but extending to all his gold equipment. I particularly love his gold knuckle dusters, which he wears in both hands, but there's also the gold rings on his braided beard, and the junk he has on his belt. The one thing he is missing is the scar Ben Kenobi gave him, but then again, this is the Book of Boba version and not his comic book counterpart.

 His only accessory is his enormous rifle, which sadly, he can't hold very well. I mean, he can HOLD it well enough, but cool shooting poses are out of the question.

 First of all, forget about turning his head, as his beard and the big, spiky pauldrons don't play well together. In fact, as nice as those pauldrons look, they don't allow him to raise his arms all the way to the top. He has butterfly joints, but they barely add any range. Elbows and knees are single jointed, and the bend on both is OK. His ab crunch is on a ball joint, so at least you can turn his torso around. He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 Krrsantan is a nice looking figure, but he is not much of an ACTION figure. The articulation really leaves a lot to be desired, and it's kinda sad that we can't get nice fighting poses from a MERCENARY of all things.

6.0

Action Figure #832: Star Wars The Black Series Geonosian Warrior

 I hate bugs.

 And the Geonosian Warrior closes out the alien wave. I remember these guys a lot... since I killed them by the hundreds in Republic Commando! 

 And here we have yet another outstanding new sculpt from the Black Series team. There's a lovely amount of sculpted textures and details both on his armor and skin, which shows that somebody really wanted their Geonosians. Even his wings are beautifully painted, making him a nice looking piece despite, y'know, looking like a disgusting insect.

 He comes with his Sonic Blaster, an alternate set of flapping wings and a stand to pose him flying.

 The wings are set on little ball joints that can be snapped into these tiny sockets in its back.

 This guy's neck is on a double ball joint, which lets you lay around with his head a bit. The one issue I had is that his head can come off more easily than I would've liked. His shoulders are on ball pegs, so you can angle them around their socket a bit. His elbows are single jointed, with enough range for anything he'd need to do. His ab-crunch. is on a ball joint. Lastly, its legs have to single joints each, as well as a foot hinge. If you stand it up as straight as you can, this guy can reach Bucky Cap's height.

 Another fun new alien to add to my collection, and once again, the Black Series team knocked it out of the park, with a fantastic sculpt and very good articulation.

8.0

Action Figure #831: Star Wars The Black Series Taun We

 We're scratching the bottom of the barrel now, eh? I'm not complaining!

 I don't think anyone thought we'd ever get Kaminoans, both lo and behold for Taun We is here representing Kamino!

 Well, as you'd expect Taun We has a 100% new sculpt, and she is amazing. She is a bit simple looking, but that's how she looks in both movie and Clone Wars show. She was lovingly sculpted, although her lankiness makes her feel a bit frail. Her skirt is made out of soft goods, and it came out very nicely. Her only accessory is her datapad thingie. 

 Her articulation is way better than she'd ever need. Her neck is on a double ball-joint between the head and torso which lets you angle her head here and there. Her abdomen is on a double ball joint as well, which gives her some range to angle her torso as well. Elbows and knees are single jointed, with bends that go over 90 degrees. And let's not forget about the 360 degrees butterfly joints! While the skirt is a bit limiting on her legs, you can just raise it as much as you need. Surprisingly, her wrists are on swivels, no hinges or ball-joints whatsoever. She's about a head taller than Bucky Cap.

 Much like Watto, we didn't really need such a good figure out of such a tertiary character, but here we are, and I love her addition to my shelves!

7.5

Action Figure #830: Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Black Ranger

 So... the black hole Ranger?

 And thus Carlos was both the Green Turbo Ranger and the In Space Black Ranger which is pretty neat considering Black and Green Rangers tend to take the same slot in Ranger teams.

 Much as I've figured out lately, most ranger costumes look the best in Black, and this one is no exception. The yellow and white accents just look so good with the black ensemble! The one thing against it, which is faithful to the source material, is that he gets a white circle on his helmet, which, I get it, it's there to emulate the black circles on the other suits, but it simply doesn't look very good.

 I bought him loose, so I only get his blaster, his staff and his gripping hands, but he also comes with an unmasked head, a fist, an open hand and a effect piece for his staff.

 Articulation follows everything this line has, with double jointed elbows and knees, butterfly joints, swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots, with a hinged waist a ball jointed diaphragm. Luckily, no drop-down hips. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 This is another fine Power Ranger figure, nice design, good articulation, the usual. I don't really have much else to add!

7.5

Action Figure #829: Blokees Deadpool

 Broke a leg. Two of them

 It only took three kits, but I've finally got Deadpool going. First kit? Built it by myself. Right hip broke. Second kit, built it with my girlfriend, same EXACT break. I couldn't use the surviving pieces from each because I tried to superglue the first figure's hip. And now... I made sure that Wolvie's hips were compatible, and since my Wolverine was doing just fine, |I bought a second Wolverine and used hm as a donor. Finally, D-Pooly is complete.

 The sculpt is kind of a mixed bag. The overall figure is full of nice, little details with very precise paint apps. That said, the proportions and aesthetics are a bit on the cartoony side, which I don't mind for the most part, but, the connections between shoulders and torso are very gappy, which I think breaks up the mold a bit. It does wonders for the articulation, however! He comes with a head with neutral eyes, a head with happy eyes, two fists with holes for his hands, two open palms and two pointing finger hands. For weapons he includes his Katanas and the baby knife. No guns!

 The assembly process was more fun than Wolverine's, sine he had his pieces better categorized on the blisters.

 His only gun is forever stuck on its holster. And even if you were to remove it, the hole in his hands isn't large enough to grip the gun.

 Articulation is pretty darn good, the neck is on a double ball joint, both waist and ab crunch are on ball joints too, we get butterfly joints, drop down hips, toe articulation, bicep and thigh swivels as well as double jointed elbows and knees. Everything has great range, and those wonky shoulders allow for an impressive range when it comes to posing him. He is a bit shorter than the short king himself, Wolverine.

 So... Deadpool himself is a fun figure. Not the best looking shoulders, but posing him around, even before I got him working hips, was a lot of fun. All that said, I can' ignore the fact that his hips broke twice on me, and I did some online searching and found out I wasn't the only one. Which is a shame, as it does put a hamper on how much I liked this figure.

5.0